In recent years, the digital satellite broadcasting has been spread. The digital satellite broadcasting is strong against noises and fading as compared with, for example, an existing analog broadcasting and can transmit a signal of a high quality. A frequency using efficiency is improved and multi-channels can be also realized. Specifically speaking, in a digital satellite broadcasting, hundreds of channels can be assured by one satellite. In such a digital satellite broadcasting, a number of dedicated channels such as sports, movies, music, news, and the like are prepared. In those dedicated channels, a program according to each dedicated contents is broadcasted.
A method of enabling the user to download audio data such as music pieces or the like or enabling, for example, the user to make a purchase contract for some product while watching a broadcasting screen as what is called a television shopping by using the digital satellite broadcasting system as mentioned above has been proposed. That is, a data service broadcasting is executed as a digital satellite broadcasting system in parallel with the ordinary broadcasting contents.
For example, in case of downloading music piece data, the music piece data is multiplexed and broadcasted in parallel with a broadcasting program on the broadcasting side. When the music piece data is downloaded, the user is enabled to perform an interactive operation by displaying a GUI (Graphical User Interface) picture plane (namely, an operation picture plane for downloading). However, data to output the GUI picture plane is also multiplexed and broadcasted.
On the user side who possesses a receiving apparatus, the GUI picture plane to download the music piece data is displayed and outputted by a predetermined operation for the receiving apparatus in a state where a desired channel is selected. By performing the operation by the user to the displayed operation picture plane, data is supplied to a digital audio apparatus connected to, for example, the receiving apparatus and enabled to be recorded.
As a GUI picture plane to download the music piece data as mentioned above, for example, there is considered a construction such that in addition to information such as parts-like image data, text data, or the like to form the GUI picture plane, unit data (file) such as audio data for audio output according to a predetermined operation is handled as an object, and an output format of the object is specified by a scenario description by a predetermined system, thereby realizing a desired display format and a desired output format of audio or the like with respect to the operation picture plane.
A display picture plane (also including an output of audio or the like here) to realize a function for some purpose by being specified by description information like a GUI picture plane mentioned above is called a “scene” here. The “object” denotes unit information of an image, audio sound, a text, or the like whose output format is specified on the basis of the description information. Upon transmission, a data file of the description information itself is also handled as one of the “objects”.
The object to realize the scene display and an audio output or the like on the scene display is encoded by, for example, a predetermined transmitting system and transmitted.
On the receiving apparatus side, data is received in accordance with the transmitting system, a decoding process is performed to the reception data, data as a set of each object that is necessary for, for example, a scene to be displayed is obtained, and the data is outputted as a scene.
Considering a using environment of the user who possesses the receiving apparatus, it is desirable that data for data services received by the receiving apparatus is enabled to be performed as efficiently as possible in accordance with the predetermined transmitting system, and processes such as updating of the contents of the scene to be displayed and outputted, transition of the scene, and synchronous display of the main TV broadcasting program and additional information such as a still image or the like are enabled by small processes as promptly as possible.
It is an object of the invention to provide a data transmission control method, a data transmitting method, a data transmitting apparatus, and a receiving apparatus, in which processes of data for data services received by the receiving apparatus can be performed as efficiently as possible.
Further, it is an object of the invention to provide a data transmission control method, a data transmitting method, a data transmitting apparatus, and a receiving apparatus, in which data of a necessary scene can be obtained as promptly as possible on the receiving apparatus side and, for example, a switching or the like of a scene output can be also promptly performed.
To realize the above objects, it is an object of the invention to provide a data transmission control method, a data transmitting method, a data transmitting apparatus, and a receiving apparatus which can be realized by a circuit of a scale as small as possible without having, for example, a buffer of a large capacity or the like.